Since this is my first post, I wanted to express my delight in joining the outstanding team of bloggers at Psychology Today. About two years ago, when I started conducting research for my new book, Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend, I began surveying women from all walks of life to find out more about their friendships.
While female friendships are romanticized by the media-movies, novels and TV shows-as well as by our mothers, the harsh reality is that most friendships are imperfect. Moreover, the large majority of friendships-even very good ones-fall apart over time.
Like every other relationship, they need to be carefully nurtured. We also need to choose our close friends wisely, know when and how to let go of those that are toxic, and learn how to survive and grow after the pain and a fractured friendship.
One of the reasons why I began delving into the empirical literature and conducted research on this topic was my own curiosity about these dynamic, complex and life-affirming relationships. As I began blogging on The Friendship Blog, and on The Huffington Post, I quickly found out that I wasn't alone. Women have all sorts of questions about their friendships.
I hope this blog will be a welcoming and comfortable place to exchange information and experiences about friendship. You can post your questions here or send them to me at Irene@TheFriendshipBlog.com. I'll try to answer as many as I can, maintaining your anonymity. Please understand that my responses are not intended as a substitute for medical or psychological diagnosis or treatment; my comments should be taken in the same vein as the type of advice that one good friend might give to another.
The timing for this launch couldn't be better. September is Women's Friendship MonthA new source for inspiration and advice on friendship and September 20th, which coincides with the official publication date of my book, is Women's Friendship Day. Let's celebrate friendship together!
